The invention relates to a subcaliber projectile with a penetrator and a propelling cage surrounding the penetrator, wherein the base region of a cap that is tapered toward the penetrator point is arranged on the propelling cage.
Such projectiles are used in particular for firing from automatic weapons, wherein the cap, which is arranged on the front of the projectile and is also called a feeding cap, is designed to facilitate the automatic feeding of the respective cartridge into the weapon chamber as well as to protect the penetrator point of the projectile. Providing groove-shaped predetermined break location extending in a longitudinal direction of the projectile will cause a defined cracking of the feeding cap, particularly for spin-stabilized projectiles passing through the weapon tube, so that the corresponding segments of the feeding cap fly off to the side as soon as the projectile leaves the weapon tube.
From the European published patent application EP 0 104 587 A1, it is furthermore known to provide the point region of the cap with slotted openings. However, the publication does not provide any indication as to the purpose of these openings, their preferred arrangement or their dimensions.
In practical operations, it has proven to be a problem that feeding caps, which meet the requirement of a fast and uniform separation when the projectile leaves the tube muzzle, also disintegrate relatively easily during the feeding operation to the weapon chamber. This can lead to considerable malfunctions of the weapons, which can be remedied only at great time expenditure. On the other hand, the problem with projectiles having caps with high strength in the region of the predetermined break locations is that after leaving the weapon tube, the separation is slow and relatively nonuniform, which frequently leads to poor hit or strike results.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a projectile of the aforementioned type, which on the one hand ensures a good and secure feeding during firing with automatic weapons and, on the other hand, has a good strike capability.